


Do you want me to teach you?

by LionsHeart



Category: Hollyoaks
Genre: Dancing Lessons, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 19:07:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,633
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16001444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LionsHeart/pseuds/LionsHeart
Summary: Harry's general thoughts on his life, his affair and his true happy place. Also, James teaches him to dance.





	Do you want me to teach you?

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't writen anything in such a long time but the fact that there were only 15 fanfics for our amazing ship drove me absolutely insane. So I thought I should contribute. I really hope you guys enjoy it a little bit and I apologize for any spelling errors.

Harry felt lonely. He felt like he was screaming and nobody was hearing him. He looked up at Ste, who was rambling on about the seating for the wedding reception or maybe he was already on another subject, Harry stopped listening about 30 minutes ago. It wasn’t like Ste asked for his opinion on it anyway and deep down he really didn’t care. He tried, at first. He really did.  
This entire wedding was turning out to be everything he never wanted. Well, maybe he did at one point in his young life. Three years ago when he was head over heels in love with Ste he probably wanted it but now... now he was different.  
They were sitting in “The Dog” and Harry looked at the people around them, he watched them going on with there day, seemingly without a care in the world. To him, they looked free. That must be a wonderful feeling: Freedom. It wasn’t about feeling trapped in this specific moment or in this place but being stuck, as if he were a hamster going around and around in a wheel, never stopping, always going into the same direction. Harry felt like he would never be able to break the cycle and just be himself again. No, that wasn’t completely true. He did feel like there was a chance...sometimes at least.  
James. James meant freedom. No masks, no secrets, no lies, no shame. James had never judged him even though he probably should have. No matter what happened or what he had to risk, James was always going to choose his side. Whenever he was with James he was able to breath again and it was like all the problems and all the craziness of this goddamn village suddenly didn’t matter anymore. He felt like he was finally heard whenever he was talking to James.

But now he got himself even more tied up in this situation with the wedding and this affair that he was having with James. Harry asked himself a lot why he wasn’t strong enough to just call it quits with Ste once and for all. For 3 years this was all he had known and he made himself so dependent on Ste. This relationship had cost him so much. He gave and he gave because he was holding on to this idea of a relationship that was stronger than any issue that would stand in the way. If he quit now than all he had given would have been for nothing. It would have been just a pure waste. The friends he lost, the opportunities he let slip away, all the time he invested into looking after Ste and his kids, all the heartbreak and pain he had put on himself since Amy died. Quitting this relationship would send him into a free fall. What did he have left outside of this? What else was there?

“Harry! Aren’t you listening to me?!”  
Harry was startled by Ste’s voice pulling him out of his thoughts. “What? No. I mean yes of course I’m listening.” He managed to get out.  
“So do you want to take a dancing lesson for our first dance or not?” Ste babbled on, staring at Harry as if he had killed a little puppy.  
“Oh...no. I don’t think we need that.” It’s not like this is your first time, Harry thought to himself.  
“Good. Money saved. I think I’m going back to the florist. I’m not satisfied with the color scheme they send over.”  
“Sure. That’s sound like a good idea.” Harry mumbled. He wanted to get out of this place as fast as possible and there was really only one place to go for him. “You know what? You do that and I’ll go for a run just to clear my head and all.”

\-------------------

He looked around just to make sure nobody was watching him when he walked over to James’ apartment. This affair made him pretty paranoid. But the street was deserted on this cold September afternoon. He fished the key he had on him at all times out of his pocket and quickly let himself into the apartment.  
James was standing at the counter of his kitchen, cutting tomatoes. He dressed about as casual as it was ever going to get. He was wearing black chinos and a navy blue dress shirt that Harry absolutely loved on him. When Harry opened the door James looked up and gave him a big smile.

“Oh look who it is. I thought you were to busy today for little old me.” James said.   
“Yes I am incredibly busy but I had a psychic vision that told me you were cookingsomething delicious and I am starving.” He said while walking over to stand on the opposite of the counter and watch James work.  
“Ah I see.” James grinned. “So you’re just using me for food and sex. I feel so blessed.”  
“Yeah something like that. What are cooking anyway?”  
He could feel it again. He felt free again. Every moment that was this simple and effortless amazed him so much that it gave him goosebumps.  
“A casserole. You are welcome to help if your delicate hand can handle the task.” James gave back with a wink. Harry bit back a response and walked around the counter to take the knife out of James hand. He started cutting the vegetables and James sliced meat. They worked like this in silence for several minutes but Harry couldn’t stop smiling.

“So how was your day? How is wedding coming along?”  
He knew James tried to sound playful and unbothered but he wasn’t able to overcome all the bitterness in his tone.  
“James.” Harry said slowly while washing his hands over the sink.   
“We don’t have to do this.”  
“Do what?”  
“You know. Talk about that.”  
“Why not? I said I’m okay with it, didn’t I?” James leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. “I just want to know what’s going on in your life and talking about THAT is pretty inevitable.”  
Harry took more time than necessary to dry his hands. The moment he’d look into James’ eyes he wouldn’t be able to avoid it anymore. Truthfully he did want to talk about it but he also knew that it just wasn’t fair to James and even though James tried very hard to look interested and engaged, he could always see the pain in James’ expression whenever the wedding or Ste was brought up. He didn’t want James to be in pain because of him.  
Instead of answering, Harry walked up to James and hugged up. He leaned his head against James chest and wrapped his arm around his neck. Without even a second of hesitation James hugged him back, he bent down lightly and leaning he head against Harry’s.

“Come on. Tell me. I can handle it I swear.” James mumbled.  
Harry sighed “Honestly, not a lot has happened. Ste is planing this thing basically all by himself anyway. All I have to do is say yes to all the florist, catering, guest list and dancing lessons crap.”  
James chuckled “Do you need dancing lessons? Surely your fiance doesn’t since he already has some practice when it comes to first dances.”  
“He sure does.” Harry said slowly. “Actually I really can't dance but I just didn’t want to waste an hour or two of my life on it.”  
“Do you want me to teach you?” James whispered into Harry’s ear. He followed it up with a lingering kiss on Harry’s cheek that made Harry’s knees go a little weak. Harry loosened the hug so he could look up to James. There was it again, this hypnotic energy that always seemed to pull them together.  
“Yes.” Harry said under his breath.  
“Alright then.” James let go of him but grabbed Harry’s left hand to pull him out of the kitchen and into the living room era of his flat.  
“Can I lead?” Harry asked and raised his eyebrows. The smile on James’ face became even bigger. “I would never deny you that wish. You know that.”  
So he took one of James’ hands in his own and put the other one at the center of his lover’s back. They tried a few easy steps and Harry had some issues not to look down on his feet. “Don’t overthink this. Look at me. Just look at me.”

That ended up actually helping him. A few minutes later they had actually found a slow rhythm. Harry stepped on James’ toes a few times but James never once complained. The longer they danced, the closer they pulled each other. James’ hand that had rested on Harry’s shoulder slowly moved towards his neck and Harry gripped the back of James’ dress shirt.  
“Thank you.” Harry said quietly as his eyes flickered back and forth between his lover's eyes and his mouth.  
James smiled. “Oh, you are very welcome.” They were so close now that their noses were almost touching.  
“We really are a mess aren’t we?” Harry whispered.  
“Sure.” James shrugged. “But would it be any fun if we weren’t.”  
“No.” Harry said and closed the distance between them.  
Like their dance just now, the kiss was slow and filled with so many things that they weren’t ready to put into words yet. Harry gripped James’ shoulder hard as if somebody was going to rip him away. He enjoyed the feel the stubbles against his face and James’ hand in his hair. Reluctantly he pulled away after a while.  
“Sorry for ruining your little cooking session.”  
“Don’t worry about it. I got something so much better in return.”  
Harry grinned and buried his face in the crook of James’ neck. Freedom. It felt so good.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading <3


End file.
